Turkey Referendum - More Powers for Erdogan

Turkey Referendum More Powers for Erdogan More Islamism in a Secular Turkey?

Today Erdogan & AKP celebrate the Yes Vote for change from Parliamentary to Executive Presidency which will expand the President’s powers.

After long decades of secularization, modernization & Europization of Turkey, starting with Kamal Attaturk – when all voices for conservative Islam had been silenced – the Justice & Development Party (AKP) founded in 2001 by Erdogan – was finally one voice for political & conservative Islam in Turkey

Yet the Deep State in Turkey, overpowered by Military Elites, who have had a great part in Turkey’s political history & who ardently back the secular modernism envisioned by Ataturk – have hindered the new Erdoganism

In 2007, before the elections, Chief of Staff, General Buyukanit had openly announced, "The Turkish Armed Forces, as up until now, will never sway from its determined stance and its duty of protecting and watching over the democratic, secular ... Turkish Republic,"

In the last 14 years of AKP’s success, Erdogan has faced many obstacles to AKP’s approach. Especially the EU & NATO membership issues that the DeepState supports & that limit Turkey’s independent Foreign Policy. July 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan was actually part of the DeepState’s resent against him

But how far does Erdogan intend to go on his path of Islamization in a country that is prone to secular liberties? Many have accused Erdogan of intentions of revival of Ottomanism/ when pressed on this issue in January 2015, he said ‘he would aim to be more like Queen Elizabeth II of UK rather than like an Ottoman sultan’

But today on the eve of the victory vote, an AKP representative told the press, ‘Turkey is ready to rule the world now. The Ottoman Empire is coming back’